Help me find this children’s bible from the eighties

[Nuffaluff]

DS aged 11 is enjoying RE at school and we’ve been discussing bible stories, particularly the creation myths at the beginning. We aren’t religious so his knowledge of the bible is scant. He is very interested in it all.
I was taken to church as a child, was bought a bible and read it again and again, so my knowledge of the bible is good.
I want to get hold of a copy of this bible I had as a kid as they just don’t make them like that any more. They’re all rated U these days, whereas mine was more of a 12 certificate! I’ve looked on eBay but I can’t find it because I can’t remember the publisher.
It was:
Owned and read by me in the eighties
A4 sized and thickish
Had some of the more obscure Old Testament stories, eg. Shadrach, Mesach and Abednego in the fire (great illustration!)
Illustrated on every page - some almost full double-paged illustrations, eg the flood.
Illustrations highly detailed and realistic
Here’s the main clue - the illustrations were graphic, and I mean pretty violent, horrific and memorable. It didn’t shy away from the nasty bits and that’s particularly why I loved it.
Can anyone help me? I reckon if you had it and took a photo of one of the illustrations I would probably remember it.

@mynameiscalypso

I have a different children's bible from the 80s but it has some equally disturbing illustrations

Well at least the skeletons look cheerful! Is that the Ladybird / Scripture Union one? It looks familiar.

As does the head of John the Baptist actually - seems surprised but undaunted ...

Oh my god @banivani I’m having massive flashbacks of my catholic 80s childhood!
I either had that bible or someone I knew did, because that picture of The Flood took me back! How bloody awful, I was obviously of an age when I couldn’t fully comprehend the horror of the pictures!
Wasn’t the picture of Herod one of him about to slay an infant baby boy whilst two women wept beneath his ridiculous gold throne?! 😱

The head on a platter pic is that David Walliams and a young Delia Smith !

@Strokethefurrywall

Oh my god *@banivani* I’m having massive flashbacks of my catholic 80s childhood! I either had that bible or someone I knew did, because that picture of The Flood took me back! How bloody awful, I was obviously of an age when I couldn’t fully comprehend the horror of the pictures! Wasn’t the picture of Herod one of him about to slay an infant baby boy whilst two women wept beneath his ridiculous gold throne?! 😱

No, that was Solomon suggesting cutting the baby in half after both women claimed it was hers but one had smothered her own the night before.

The slaughter of the innocents in Bethlehem after Jesus, Mary and Joseph fled to Egypt is indeed graphically illustrated too.

Yes, the Solomon one is awful too! But it didn't happen so a little more palatable as a picture. The Herod one is soldiers holding babies by the legs and waving them and swords around.

I might have to upload the pictures anyway but it did genuinely feel out of place on an internet forum where mothers who've suffered recent loss might stumble upon it ...

@banivani

Yes, the Solomon one is awful too! But it didn't happen so a little more palatable as a picture. The Herod one is soldiers holding babies by the legs and waving them and swords around.

I might have to upload the pictures anyway but it did genuinely feel out of place on an internet forum where mothers who've suffered recent loss might stumble upon it ...

Agreed

About how that flood picture. I remember being so upset about that and worried for those people. I would think ‘oh, they’re managing to cling onto the rocks so maybe they’ll be okay’. Then I would read the text again and, yes, everyone dies.
You have to wonder about the intentions of the artist there, I think, with the children in that picture. Maybe they weren’t such a big fan of God.

Herod is clearly being played by Matt Berry in that picture!

I had the yellow JW one, think my grandmother gave it to me. I went to catholic school and none of our family are JW so not sure where it came from! Think that had some good pictures too, but maybe not as gory.

@Ldmk2

I had this one in the early 80s. Can't remember any of the stories you mention though.

Oh, I think I had that one! The illustrations were by a few different illustrators from what I remember, and generally quite realistic — in that it all looked credibly like the Middle East — but what I remember most is that one illustration in particular made Jesus look very sexy. Olive skin, dark curly hair, short beard. It might have been when he was being baptised by John the Baptist in a loincloth in the Jordan.

The ‘John the Baptist’s head on a platter’ image was horrifying.

As soon as I saw this I thought I bet it's the one I had but saw you found it, I think mine was worse. They're in a box in the garage else I'd get it out. Bloodied heads and death galore I remember showing DH and saying these would scare the living daylights out of our dc at the time, I suspect they'd love it now! I was fascinated and horrified in equal measure, was a gift from Sunday school I think

Mind you the layout of the flood picture is familiar. @banivani would you post a picture of the front cover please?

Have you got your book yet, OP? I'm tempted to order one for myself, but only once I'm sure you got yours, lest you need to order another!

@Rainartist - sorry, I don't have the dust cover, just the blue cloth cover underneath iyswim.

I'd love an update from OP too!